Cane.



PATENTED FEB. 25, 1000.

CANE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 190e.

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v W. S. SMITH.

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UNITED SATES WILLIAM S. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, VViLLrAu S. SMirH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Canes, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to canes or walking sticks and it is the object thereof to provide a cane of which the appearance may be that of an ordinary walking stick but having concealed therein a flaO, pennant or the like which may b e readily witfidr awn the stick then serving as a standard for the flag.

A further object is to provide in a device of this character means for winding the ag into the stick without the use of springs for such purpose, to provide means for normally retaining the flag in rolled position, and means enabling the use in the device of a flag having hemmed edges without causing too great bulkiness or difficulty in unrolling.

Constructions embodying my invention are shown in the accompanying drawings of which Figure l is a vertical view of the cane partly in section, Fig. 2 is a detail of certain mechanism adjacent the head, Fig. 3 is a detail section on the line :Ja-x of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a detail section showing the winding of the hemmed edge of the flag on the recessed shaft, and Fig. 5 is a detail transverse section of the tubular portion of the stick, showing the form of the longitudinal groove therein for receiving the binding at the outer end of the flag.

In the construction shown I provide a stick l, which may be of any suitable material and finish, the same having thereon at the lower end a ferrule 2 and at the upper end having a cylindrical bore 3 extending for a suitable depth therein. Over the upper end of the stick is placed a metal cap 4, which is secured thereon by pins 5. At the bottom of the cylindrical bore 3 is a block 6, the same forming a bearing for the lower end of the shaft 7 which extends upwardly therefrom, passes outthrough the cap 4, and has secured on the outer end the head 8 which may be of any suitable material and finish to harmonize with that of the stick. Secured to the shaft 7 inside the cap 4 is a ratchet 9 which is normally engaged by a tongue 10 turned upwardly from the horizontal portionl2 of a spring ll of which one end is secured to the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 3. 1906. Serial No. 324,6941

Patented Feb. 25, 1908.

inside of the cap 4 near the bottom thereof. The said horizontal portion 12 has an elongated opening therein through which passes the shaft 7 and on the side opposite the tongue l0 has a stem extending through the side of the cap 4 and having a button 13 thereon, as shown. By pressure on said button 13 the tongue l0 may be disengaged from the ratchet so that the same and the shaft 7 are left free to turn.

A longitudinally extending kerf or slot 14 is made in the side of the stick and extending into the cylindrical bore thereof, the said slot at the outside of the stick being enlarged to approximately semicircular form as shown in Fig. 5. rlhe flag l5 is attached to the shaft 7 in any suitable manner and the outer end thereof is passed through the slot 14. At the outer end of the flag the fabric is passed around a flexible cord 1.6 and l over the roll thus formed is placed a binding 17 of a finish corresponding with the outside of the stick I. The said binding and the end of the fiag are held around the cord 16 by suitable stitching and the cord is preferably of slightly flattened or elliptical secn tion so that the roll formed thereby will fit within the semicircular portion of the slot 14 and extend only slightly above the surface of the stick l, as shown in Fig. 5. T he flexible roll formed as described at the outer end of the flag prevents the same from being drawn entirely within the stick, yet on ac- 'count of its flexibility does not prevent free play and movement of the 'flag when withdrawn from the stick. The finish of the binding over the roll being the same as the outside of the stick and the roll lying largely within the slot so as to be nearly fiush with the surface of the stick, the same is inconspicuous and the appearance of the stick is not materially different from that of an ordinary cane.

In most flags there is a hem at the top and bottom edges thereof in which the fabric is overlaid so as to be two or more times the thickness of the body of the flag. In winding such a flag upon a plain cylindrical shaft these hemmed edges cause the ends of the roll to build up more rapidly than the central part thereof, with the result that the fabric in the central part of the roll is left loose or slack instead of being rolled smoothly and tightly upon the shaft. It has been found by experiment that a flag thus loosely rolled cannot be drawn out through the narrow slot 14 for the reason that the slack portion of the outer layers of the roll will be drawn up into the slot, as shown by the dotted lines A in Fig. 5, and wedge in the slot so tightly as to prevent the unrolling. In niy invention this difliculty is overcome by making the shaft of smaller dianieter at the portions thereof over which the heinnied edges are rolled, so that the greater bulk caused by said heinined edges may be Crushed down into the recesses caused by said reduction in the diameter of the shaft, thus allowing the central part of the roll to build up snioothly and without slack or looseness. This is illustrated in Fig. 4 in which the heinined edges 18 of the flag are shown as they appear when building down into the recess 19 in the shaft.

' In withdrawing the flag from the stick the button 13 is pushed inward to disengagethe tongue l0 from the ratchet 9, and the end of the flag is then grasped and pulled outward. In winding the flag into the stick the shaft 7 is turned by means of the handle 8, the tongue l() constantly engaging the ratchet and retaining the shaft in the position to which it is turned by the handle.

Now, having described rny invention,

what I claini and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a device of the class described the combination with a tubular stick of a shaft revolubly held therein, and a flag or the like Wound upon the shaft and having one end attached thereto, there being recesses forined in the shaft at the edges of the flag to receive the increased bulk thereof caused by heins or selvage.

2. In a device of the class described, a tubular stick, a shaft revolubly held therein, a flag or the' like attached to the shaft, there being a longitudinally extending slot in the tubular stick through which one end of the Ilag is passed, and a flexible roll formed at the outer end of the iiag, said roll comprising a flexible cord and a binding over the saine, and the external part of the longitudinal slot in the stick being widened to receive the flexible roll.

In testimony whereof` I have hereunto subscribed iny naine in the presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM S, SMITH.

Witnesses:

J. M. SHRAMEK, D. O. BARNELL. 

